So I am the god of basketball?

The Lakers can probably take on a contract worth around 540 million in the new season, and it would be meaningless to take on a bigger contract because Kobe will be leaving with his 00 million contract starting in the summer of .

No matter what kind of big guys we can attract this summer, they will only be useful for one year.

There are many risks involved in the process of adjustment. If the adjustment fails, not only will this year's work be in vain, but there is also an unknown time when the extra chips can be put together again.

Besides, can the fields after a storm still be the same as before?

For a team that lost in the finals, there is no need to take such a risk.

In fact, to put it bluntly, this year's finals is Kobe's tuition fee. Next season, he can definitely take on the responsibility of the team's second place. If the Lakers of the new season were to compete with this year's Tim Duncan, I'm afraid it's not certain who would have the last laugh.

Of course, Kobe is evolving, the Philadelphia 76ers are also evolving, the "double No. pick" group is gradually entering their peak period, plus Mutombo, otherwise why is their future so exciting!
The reason is that the Philadelphia 76ers still have a long period of peak performance.

The Lakers' lineup naturally needs to be upgraded appropriately.

After more than a week of intelligence gathering, Jerry West smiled confidently about the upcoming draft.

On June 6, the last draft of the 25s kicked off.

The quality of the three consecutive drafts in 96, 97 and 98 was very good. Normally, after several consecutive high-quality drafts, there would be a series of poor years. However, the quality of 99 was no worse than the previous ones.

The Spurs selected Elton Brand with the first pick in the first round.

In 97, the Spurs tried to play badly to snatch Tim Duncan, but in the end, the Philadelphia 76ers took the "No. pick" away one step ahead with a small probability.

That game against the Lakers will always be a pain in the hearts of the Spurs.

After that bad performance, the Spurs became really bad, ranking third from the bottom in the league in the regular season last season.

This time they got the "No. 1 pick".

Popovich took Brand down without a second's hesitation.

The future "Captain" is not as good as Tim Duncan, but if we really talk about his ability in his peak period, he can lead the Clippers into the playoffs.

Listen, it’s not any other team, it’s taking the Clippers into the playoffs!

This is more valuable than leading other teams into the playoffs!
Everyone who knows knows how bad the Clippers were in the 00s.

And they are like a curse, no matter what kind of trade the team makes in the summer... well, "Lord Baylor" can't make any good trades. This is more proof of Brand's ability in his prime.

His problem is that his body is a little fragile.

But Popovich does have some experience in this matter.

After he got Tim Duncan, he was very rough, causing him to suffer plantar fasciitis and season-ending injuries, but he still used him until 15. This is where Popovich is good.

He knows how to adapt, no matter from which angle.

This time Brand becomes a Spur, maybe it can change his original career.

The second pick in the first round belongs to the Grizzlies as before.

The Vancouver Grizzlies have actually always been a favorite for the No. 1 pick since the team was founded, but...

I don't know if it's just bad luck or if David Stern just doesn't want them to get the No. 1 pick, but their best pick so far is the second pick in the first round.

Come to think of it, this super rookie sent him to a place covered in ice and snow to suffer, and no one paid any attention, so why bother!

The Grizzlies haven't drafted any good rookies.

This year they finally have a target, and that's Steve Francis.

The future "Boss F" is an absolute freak of physical fitness.

He is also the guy with the best air-staying ability in the league. The dunk contest in 00 was an extremely classic because there were many dark horses besides Carter, one of whom was Francis.

However, when Francis heard that he was selected by the Grizzlies, his originally poor face became even poorer. His entire face was almost wrinkled together, and every expression on his face was resisting this result.

Finally, I went up.

But after shaking hands with David Stern, he said to the media off the court: "Listen, I will never report to Vancouver. It is absolutely impossible for me to go. The Grizzlies management should trade me quickly, otherwise I would rather go back to college!"

These words made the Vancouver reporters in the audience very embarrassed.

Originally, the team selected such a potential player, and they wanted to say that the team management finally had eyes this time.

Who would have thought that they didn't want to enter Vancouver at all.

They knew very well that summer in Vancouver was destined to be uneasy.

With the third pick in the first round, the Hornets selected Baron Davis, also known as the "Bearded First Generation" and the "leader" of the future "Black Eight Warriors".

This is also a master with extraordinary talent.

It is worth mentioning that he is actually the first person to broadcast his next destination live across the United States.

However, he did not do this in the NBA. Instead, when he graduated from high school, he announced his college destination in front of all the media.

The fact that his choice of university alone has attracted so much media attention shows how talented Baron Davis is.

He was indeed good enough. Later, Wade said that he almost made Baron Davis cry when he faced him for the first time in the playoffs. This shows his talent.

But this guy has a lot of talent for basketball, but he prefers to be a director.

Therefore, he later focused most of his energy on filming. His lack of ambition on the basketball court was an important reason why he failed to achieve greater breakthroughs.

But he still left the classic "Black Eight Miracle" to NBA fans.

Then, with the fourth pick in the first round, that man finally came...

"PDD" Lamar Odom!
This is also a talented player who has not reached the level expected by the outside world.

However, compared to Baron Davis, it was foreseeable that Odom failed to become one of the best players in the league during his career.

Because of P in college, he almost couldn't continue playing basketball.

Compared to basketball, P seems to be his lifelong career.

Of course, he also proved how much he loves this job, to the point that he would rather sacrifice his life for it!

Just like before, he was selected by the Clippers this time.

But this is actually not good news. A player with poor self-control like this, placed in such a big city without a boss like Kobe to supervise him, how can he develop good habits?

If he debuted in Vancouver, maybe he would really be able to develop a pure and simple heart.

Didn’t you see that Zach Randolph later turned over a new leaf?
The Wizards selected Richard Hamilton with the seventh pick in the first round.

The man Kobe threatened to break his legs is here too...

The names of the players in the first seven picks in 99 are enough to show the quality of this draft.

Although it cannot compare with the previous three sessions in absolute height.

But there are also All-Star level players emerging.

It was also because of the high quality of the draft that the 00s was so magnificent! After Richard Hamilton, there were Marion, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette and other familiar names.

The 16th pick in the first round, the man named Ron Artest is here too!

This time his rookie season did not start with the Bulls, but directly with the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers, who ranked 6th in the Eastern Conference last season, were ranked 15th in the league, which allowed them to successfully acquire Artest.

All I can say is that some things are destined.

O'Neal went there early, and Artest also went there early...

I don’t know if he, who has no bad relationship with the Bulls this time, will break Michael Jordan’s ribs with his elbow.

After the 16th pick in the first round, Jerry West cheered up. The 17th pick in the first round belonged to the Sacramento Kings, whose pick was traded by Jerry West for this year's 22nd pick in the first round and this year's and next year's second-round picks.

As for the goal, it is naturally to grab the Russian "all-around forward" Andrei Kirilenko from the Jazz before the 18th pick in the first round!

This guy will not enter the league this year. After all, the money he makes is not enough to pay the buyout fee.

But West knew very well that Jerry Sloan liked this guy very much and planned to keep him for the "post-Utah Double Devils" era.

So Jerry West snatched him away.

The purpose of intercepting was very simple, he had his eyes on a player from the Jazz.

Whether it is salary or other aspects, it is in line with the needs of the Lakers.

At the same time, the Jazz general manager was stunned when he saw Kirilenko being snatched away.

no……

I haven't heard that the Lakers are interested in such a newcomer from Russia.

How come...

As foxes with a thousand-year history, the general manager of the Jazz immediately smelled a conspiracy.

Soon his idea was verified, because Jerry West called as expected: "Hey man, I heard that you are very interested in the new Russian player, so I immediately grabbed him for you. Tell me, man, how are you going to thank me!"

The Jazz general manager couldn't hear exactly what was said, but that was what he heard.

The word shameless cannot describe it.

This is simply despicable.

He suspected there was a traitor in the Jazz team!
Otherwise, how could the talent show information be leaked like this?

He didn't agree immediately, but replied: "I don't know what you are talking about."

Just hung up the phone.

Jerry West was not in a hurry when he heard the busy tone on the phone. From now on, it was a game of "cat and mouse". It all depended on who had more patience!

And in this matter, Jerry West thinks he is the best general manager in the industry!

and so……

Let the bullets fly for a while.

Meng Lang was a little surprised when he saw this result.

He once suspected that Jerry West had opened his clairvoyance, but he got news from Tyrone that Andrei Kirilenko would not be able to enter the league in the new season.

Not to mention the new season, he may not even be able to enter the league in the next season.

He was certain then that Jerry West had other ideas.

Could it be Karl Malone or Stockton?
No, no, no, this is unlikely. Regardless of whether they are useful or not, the ability of these two in Utah is not something Kirilenko can negotiate with. That means he has his eyes on other people...

Meng Lang is very clear about the current situation of the Lakers, and they really don't have many chips.

Originally Meng Lang thought that there would be no trades this year, and he could only wait for the miracle of the veteran to come and join the team in the summer. However, he did not expect that Jerry West would find such an angle to strengthen the Lakers.

It really makes people...

I'm looking forward to it again.

There weren't many highlights in the later stages of the draft, but after the first round, something big happened:
Just like before, the Mavericks selected Wang Zhizhi!

So Meng Lang received a call from Dazhi.

This was the first time he asked him seriously: "Meng, do you think I can play in the NBA?"

As soon as this question came up, Meng Lang felt that Wang Zhizhi was not open-minded.

It is obviously a sensitive period, and even if he wants to play in the NBA, he can't come immediately, so I want to ask him for help.

Don’t let Meng Lang get the reputation of “You Zi Ru Ru”!
Even though Wang Zhizhi has a special identity, if he were to communicate and mediate, the difficulty would definitely be less than expected.

But looking at the 00 Olympics, there are also the 04 Olympics and the 08 Olympics.

The best opportunity is right in front of us, and these three Olympic Games will also be Meng Lang’s last 10 years of peak performance.

The Chinese men's basketball team will also achieve good results during this period.

Meng Lang didn't want Wang Zhizhi to follow his old path, so he finally agreed to come forward and coordinate with Lan Xie on his behalf to try to get a good result. But before agreeing to this matter, he said, "Old Wang, our relationship is not that good. I am willing to help you because I value your talent. I hope that when you get to the NBA, you can remember how you got here, how much effort and energy you put in, and how you have to listen to my nagging here. All this has given you this opportunity. So, I hope you can train harder and make a name for yourself in the NBA, instead of going back to the CBA in disgrace."

"If you can't make a name for yourself, remember, it's not just you who will lose face, it's also the face of the Chinese men's basketball team! Your identity is more representative than mine, you should know this!"

Wang Zhizhi's face was burning.

Under normal circumstances, he would have hung up the phone immediately after hearing these words.

His pride wouldn't allow anyone to talk to him like that.

But these words touched his heart...

The most important thing is that the NBA is too tempting for him right now!

He wants to see the NBA!
So he endured it.

Afterwards, Meng Lang returned to China as he had said and coordinated Wang Zhizhi's participation in the NBA.

In fact, with Meng Lang around, it doesn’t really matter whether Wang Zhizhi comes back in the future.

As long as Meng Lang is there, the Chinese men's basketball team will definitely achieve results.

So in the end, Meng Lang sacrificed himself. Wang Zhizhi watched from the side, his face burning again.

"Come on!"

Walking out of the conference room, at this moment, Meng Lang's words no longer sounded so harsh to his ears. (End of this chapter)